


You're Going Backwards

by KIASK



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Bittersweet, Existential Crisis, Jaehyungparkian, M/M, Mad Scientist! Jae, Mentions of Death, Mentions of giving up, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 03:22:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13872048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KIASK/pseuds/KIASK
Summary: Jae watches Brian die every day.Snapshots of Jae and Brian’s relationship while he searches for the Timeline in which Brian lives.orSteins Gate inspired AU





	You're Going Backwards

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE read the tags.  
> Also please don’t yell at me! I’ve been stressing over this AU for a few days now and I think I’m finally satisfied with it. If the timeline doesn’t make any sense don’t worry, it’s not really supposed to.  
> This is for Day 1 of Jaehyungparkian Week (Time Travel AU) <3
> 
> (to find out more about Day6 Ship Week head on over to twt and check out [day6sailing](https://twitter.com/day6sailing)

**16:05 PM 02/22/2018**

He had seen it. Jae saw Brian die, yet here he was directly in front of him alive as ever. He reaches his hand out to tug at the coat that hangs off of Brian’s shoulder, pulling him in close.

_His Brian._

“Bri?”

“What is it baby?”

“ _B-bri?”_

“Jae is everything alright?”

“You… I…”

“Jae?”

“Brian I’m so sorry. _imsorryimsorryimsorry._ ”

 

The sound of the microwave going off rings through the apartment.

 

~~~~~~~

**15:35 PM 03/05/2018**

Light filters in through the dusty curtains of the living room window. Takeout containers and drink bottles litter the otherwise empty apartment. Jae stretches himself out on the loveseat, staring at his watch intently, thumb hovering over the keyboard of his phone. He has exactly 25 minutes to go.

It’s been ten days. Ten days since Brian had pointed at the heap of so-called _junk_ in the corner and yelled at Jae to get his life together. Told him to _“Stop playing with that fucking machine and look at me”._ Told him not to mess with it, to leave it alone, _“Let it do it’s thing Jae, you can’t fuck with time and expect there not to be consequences.”_

_“Well what the fuck do YOU know?!”_

He was so close. _So close_ to perfecting it. If only he had waited two more seconds then maybe, _maybe_ he could have shown him.

_“Brian, this is my LIFE’S WORK, I can’t just abandon it.”_

_“Are you not hearing what I’m saying?”_

_“I am, but look, I figured out the formul-”_

_“Jae you’re not even trying to listen to me! You’re so obsessed with the idea of whether you_ can _that you never stopped to even consider if you_ should _.”_

_“I can sell my research and we can make a fortune off of it. Or we can just keep it to ourselves and offer a premium service… like Eternal Sunshine. Or even… imagine being able to buy a lottery ticket Yesterday already knowing which numbers are gonna be drawn.”_

_“Jae don’t be fucking stupid, there are better ways to use your genius.”_

_“Brian, no one has_ ever _done this before. This is a scientific breakthrough.”_

_“Is it still science if you only use it for personal gain? I thought you were smarter than this.”_

_“Bri- please!”_

_“No, I’m done here Jae. Do whatever you want but I want no part in it.”_

 

The words still sting Jae’s ears even if the speaker is gone. _Gone._

That _junk_ in the corner is exactly what Jae plans on using to get Brian _back._

In the depth of his heart he feels selfish and guilty. _Don’t fuck with it._ _Learn your lesson. Move on._

He wants to prove a _point_ and if proving it means getting Brian back it’s worth it. He’ll prove to him exactly the value of his work. They’ll be together again, and they can live out the rest of their days happily like they should be.

 _He might hate you._ He might…

But he’ll live.

 

He’s had ten days to perfect the machine. Ten days to test it with inanimate objects, writing messages to himself, finding them in places where they shouldn’t have been.

_I’m sure it works. It has to work or I’ll die trying._

There’s not much for him to lose. He already lost his everything, even if he realized it a second too late.

If everything goes according to plan, according to the careful calculations he’s made, according to the countless hours he’s spent mulling over the details in his head…

He’ll be able to jump without losing his memories and do what he needs to do in order to save Brian. _Save him._

 

_“Brian look! I think I’ve finally figured it out!”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_Brian bites his lip, brows furrowed with unnoticed worry._

_“The key to jumping!”_

_…_

_“Watch, if I input the date with a message and then input the same date on the microwave it creates a spark…”_

_“Hey let’s go see a movie tonight, the one that you like with the princess and the pirate?”_

_Brian wraps his arms around Jae from behind, pulling him close to his chest and squeezing tightly, as though he’ll never let Jae go._

_“Bri?”_

_“Jae,_ please.”

 

Jae carefully taps out a message on his phone, adjusting the time and date to just minutes before their fight. He prays that he gets the time right before hitting _send_ . He gets up from the couch and strides over to where the _machine_ (the microwave) sits in the corner, tapping out 16:00 on the number pad and placing his phone inside.

He takes a deep breath before hitting the ‘Power’ button and waits.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

**16:05 PM 02/22/2018**

He hits the floor with a _thud_ . _Did I fall?_

Nothing makes sense. _I must have fainted._

It comes back to him like a wave.

Just minutes ago Jae had watched Brian die for the first time. He had fallen down the stairs of their apartment building after storming out angrily. There had been a fight, things were said. Brian had left just like that, and was really _gone_.

_And yet…_

Arms wrap around his thin frame, gently pulling him up from the floor.

 _“_ Baby, are you okay?”

Here he is. Very much alive and breathing, holding Jae close to his chest and looking at him with his big round eyes. He wears a look of concern and confusion but something is _wrong_.

His hair is _silver_ and not black, and he’s wearing jeans that are ripped a little too high, and his cheek has a small cut on it, and he’s _shorter_ than Jae remembers, and it’s _not right._

“ _Jae?_ ”

 

_Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep_

 

He shakes it off, chalking it up as a dream. Tries to picture _this_ version of Brian as the one he remembers (The one he dreams of).

“Bri… did we… did we fight?”

“Well, yeah but that doesn’t matter right now are you okay?.”

“What _happened?”_

“You were acting strange all of a sudden and then collapsed. I was so worried when I saw you hit the floor.”

“Where are we?”

He looks around the room, not recognizing it at all. He feels like he’s been dropped in an alternate version of what he thought was familiar.

Brian’s lips pull down into a frown.

“We’re at home?”

 

The apartment is the same after a second glance over. The only difference is…

“Where is my _lab?!”_

 _“_ Your lab? Jae what the fuck are you talking about?”

Jae panics. Did he really _jump?_ Did it _work?_

 _Did it really work? Is it gone? Did I_ jump back?

He searches for his phone in his pocket, but it’s not there. He stands up, running towards the tiny kitchenette and spots the familiar microwave, opening it with enough force to break it.

“Jae what are you _doing?_ Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down.”

He hears Brian but ignores him as he reaches for the cellular device that sits on the microwave plate.

“Jae… _what the fuck_ ”

He opens his messages and sees it-

 

To: JAE 

Don’t lose your everything.

From: JAE

03/05/2018

 

It worked. He had really jumped back. He was in the past but for some reason this past was _wrong_ and he wonders what could have possibly changed it. His heart beats wildly in his chest as he considers all of the possibilities that could have led to these results, unplugging the microwave and tearing it from the countertop.

_Is it an alternate Timeline? Is that what this is? Am I jumping Timelines rather than travelling on a singular path?_

Brian stands in the middle of the living room, confused and worried.

“Jae, what’s going on? You’re acting so strange.”

“Brian, I did it!”

“Did what?”

“I jumped back in time!”

…

“Jae what the _fuck_ are you talking about?”

“Grab me my lab coat! I have work to do.”

“Jae…”

His brain is flooded with the new information and it’s _exciting._ This is his life’s _work_ . Brian is alive, and it obviously has something to do with the _machine,_ even though it doesn’t seem to exist anymore.

“JAE,” Brian grabs onto his wrist, gripping so tight it hurts. “Jae… you don’t have a lab coat.” 

Something is _wrong._

Jae breathes in deeply, taking in the soft warmth of Brian’s eyes. Trying to fall in love with this new version of him (Old version, past version). His bangs curl over his forehead slightly, and Jae wonders how he would look under him. He tries to push back the thoughts of the _machine. That can wait. That can wait, Brian is here and I need him and I need him to know that I need him-_

He leans forward to brush their noses together, waiting for Brian to tip his head up just enough for them to press their lips together.

“I’m sorry Bri.”

“S’okay… I’m just worried. You’re not acting like yourself.”

“Want to go to bed early tonight?”

“Yeah, it’s been a long day.”

_It’s been a long week._

 

_Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep_

 

~~~~~~~~

The second time Jae sees Brian die he’s not expecting it. _I saved him why is this happening?_ They had just crossed a busy intersection and a small black cat decided to run out in front of traffic.

The cat lived.

It’s been less than a _day_ since Jae held Brian again.

They were on their way to see a movie that Jae loves.

~~~~~~~~

It becomes a pattern and it’s exhausting. Jae just wants Brian to _live._ For them to grow old together. He regrets ever ignoring him for his work. He regrets their fights. He regrets not _listening_ to him. When he thinks back to that day, the first time… he thinks that maybe Brian _knew._ That he _accepted_ his fate, that he just wanted Jae to listen but knew that he never would and just _gave up._

Everything hurts.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Sometimes it’s not a phone at all. Sometimes it’s a stopwatch, and that’s where things seem to get complicated. He still manages to do it. The messages get muddled but the dates and the times remain.

Sometimes he’s too late. Those are the worst times. He watches Brian die and cries out as his heart is broken all over again.

Sometimes the times change. He’ll live out two - three days before it happens. He treasures those days the most.

The only constants are that Brian is always worried, always soft, always patient. Sometimes he’s angry but it doesn’t last for very long. It always starts with a fight and ends in death and Jae is _tired._

He builds machine after machine after machine.

 

~~~~~~~~

 **16:05 PM 02/22/2018**  

“Jae,” Brian speaks out to him from the couch as Jae frantically adjusts the bolts on the 12th, maybe 20th _machine_ (he lost count after the first five times) _._

“I’ve been having these dreams…”

“Yeah? What kinds of dreams?” He continues to fiddle with the screwdriver until he’s sure he’s gotten it just right. He can practically build it in his sleep now, this _machine_. Each time he makes minor adjustments.

“Jae… I die in these dreams. I die every single night and..”

Jae freezes, dropping the screwdriver and turning to face Brian. Standing up he takes two strides until he’s able to take Brian’s face in his hands and looks him directly in the eye.

“Brian, I’ll keep you safe. I’ll protect you, I swear.”

Brian shifts uncomfortably, reaching for Jae’s wrists.

“Can we see that movie that you like, the one with the pirate and the princ-”

“NO!”

 

It’s happening again, except this time it’s worse because now he knows that Brian is _remembering things_ and he’s so scared.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

He loses sight of his original prospects for the _machine._

_Why did I build this cursed piece of…. Garbage._

On days when he doesn’t jump he drowns in a sea of guilt and grief, wondering what he could possibly do to change things permanently. Brian is gone and even though he’s _there_ he’s just going to die again tomorrow and it _kills_ Jae. He goes mad with guilt and sadness. Some days he considers throwing the whole project out the window, damning its entire existence. It’s too hard though, he poured all of his life into that _machine_ and he has too much pride to just give it up.

He considers selling it to a lab, wondering if fame and fortune will be worth his suffering. The idea is fleeting. He decides that humanity doesn’t deserve to experience the same fate that he has.

Some days he feels like _dying_. The weight of the world crushing him. Burn all of the papers, destroy the evidence. Die quickly and unnoticed (Brian is all he has, had).

Calculations are scribbled on whiteboards, in notebooks, on countertops, scattered throughout his apartment. Sometimes he spends months on them only to jump and have to start over.

His memories begin to overlap, the ones of the _real_ Brian cut in with each Timeline. He wonders if it’s even worth it. _Brian is gone he’s gone he’s gone he’s gone._

He wonders if it’s even possible to get back to his _own_ Timeline. If he makes it back can he prevent the whole thing from happening? Can he do it?

He wonders if he should invent a machine to erase his memories. Forget everything, start over from the beginning.

He wonders if there’s a timeline in which the _machine_ doesn’t exist. One where everything is as it should be by the natural order of things. One where he’s not so _sad_ anymore.

He’ll find it someday.

For now all he can do is wait. Wait for the Timeline to find him.

Even if it means falling in love with a new Brian every single day for the rest of his life.

 

~~~~~~~~

**16:05 PM 02/22/2018**

Jae lays in the grass, looking up at the stars. His hand held tightly in Brian’s.

“Bri?”

“What’s up?”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

 

He closes his eyes. Knowing that the worst of it is yet to come, but he’ll cherish this moment for the rest of eternity, cherish each and every one of these moments.

**Author's Note:**

> Tomorrow's prompt is Pirates and I promise it's going to be really sweet and sunny to make up for this <3  
> Don't forget to leave Kudos and Comments bc I love validation also please check out the rest of the wonderful works that are being posted by our wonderful group this week <3 They can all be found here on the[day6sailing](https://twitter.com/day6sailing) twt! <3
> 
> Yell at me on my [CC](https://curiouscat.me/KIASK)  
> or alternatively yell at me on Yell at me on my [twt](https://twitter.com/kiaskonawhim)


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